1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to a connector for electrically connecting a flexible substrate such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC), to a circuit substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flexible printed circuit (FPC) connectors are widely used for electrically connecting flexible printed circuits to PCBs. A typical FPC connector includes an insulating housing, contact elements received in the housing, an actuator ratatably mounted onto the housing and/or inserted into the housing, for pressing an FPC against the contact elements.
With the miniaturization of electronic system and the development of high-frequency signal transmission technology, A FPC connector used in such system needs to reliably transmit high-frequency signals. A shielding is commonly required to provided for the FPC connector, to prevent Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) in relation to the external environment. Thus a reliable transmission of high-frequency signals within the system is ensured.
Conventional FPC connectors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,688,146, 6,276,958 and 6,475,026. These connectors mainly comprise a housing, a plurality of contacts received in the housing, an actuator povotably mounted on the housing, for pressing an FPC against the contacts and solder pads mounted to the housing. However, these connectors have a shortcoming that there is no shielding means in these structures. When transmitting high-frequency signals, these connectors cannot provide effective EMI shielding. This thereby can effect a reliable transmission of the signals.
Therefore, a new flexible printed circuit connector which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art is desired.